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A review by aayjaysbookshelf
In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
A contemporary fiction novel which seems divided into different chapters, but is actually a collection of 8 short stories which are separate from each other in their story but tied together by the common thread of a Punjabi feudal lord (K.K Harouni) who is the denominator in all these stories. 'In Other Rooms, Other Wonders' was reflective of its name in its writing; it felt like peering into different rooms in the same house at different times, the stories quite different, yet somehow connected to each other. Regarded as an outlook in the sociological structure of a modern day Pakistani society, this book did a good job with describing the characters and the places vividly, making it really easy to imagine it all. The stories are of different factions of the society, but mainly focusing on the stark difference between the upper and lower classes, with the middle class appearing only momentarily. From stories of maids and servants to feudal lords and elites, the book sheds light on our general society through specific characters, which I think is quite good writing.
What I particularly liked about the writing was the poignant way of describing or hinting at the many nuances and micro behaviours that go unnoticed by many but leave an impact nonetheless. Also, the way the stories are of different times and characters yet gravitating back to the common denominator (their relation to K.K Harouni) subtly is an example of a creative writing. Although I find it perplexing that this (supposedly) main character is not given the due main character attention.
The stories built up nicely but end abruptly, which I found frustrating. Moreover, the sense of time is a bit confusing since it sometimes describe the 70s and 80s and sometimes zoom into the 2000s. It's heavily Punjabi centered, though, so I would also not call it a true or whole representation of a Pakistani society, but of a faction of it only (Punjabi) which, albeit it being a large one, is not representative of the diverse Pakistani society. A nice read overall.
What I particularly liked about the writing was the poignant way of describing or hinting at the many nuances and micro behaviours that go unnoticed by many but leave an impact nonetheless. Also, the way the stories are of different times and characters yet gravitating back to the common denominator (their relation to K.K Harouni) subtly is an example of a creative writing. Although I find it perplexing that this (supposedly) main character is not given the due main character attention.
The stories built up nicely but end abruptly, which I found frustrating. Moreover, the sense of time is a bit confusing since it sometimes describe the 70s and 80s and sometimes zoom into the 2000s. It's heavily Punjabi centered, though, so I would also not call it a true or whole representation of a Pakistani society, but of a faction of it only (Punjabi) which, albeit it being a large one, is not representative of the diverse Pakistani society. A nice read overall.